This Bond
by TeamHarry95
Summary: A series of Sam and Dean friendship/brotherly love one-shots which vary from hurt/comfort to humour to angst and pre-show to season 1 to season 6. Kind of all over the place but I promise they will satisfy your fangirl cravings! Warnings: mild language and very mild violence. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

The thunder boomed louder and louder each time, and Sam threw the covers over his head for "protection". He shook with fear, as any five year old would in such a predicament, and wanted desperately for the storm to pass. He heard Dean watching TV in the living room and considered going out to ask if he could stay awake with him for comfort. Their dad was out on a hunt, and no five year old should be left in his or her bedroom alone and scared during such a horrible night.

Sam walked up to his door and contemplated for a second. He was scared but he also wanted his brother to think him brave and grown-up, of course…so he dropped his blankie and teddy bear before opening his bedroom door. He closed it behind him as quietly as he could, but Dean heard right away and whipped his head around.

"What are you doing? You were supposed to be asleep an hour ago." Dean looked angry and Sam cowered.

"Um, I couldn't sleep with all the noise outside." It wasn't the whole truth, but it was close enough.

"Well then put some earplugs in and go back to bed."

A clap of thunder sounded again and Sam gasped and scooted closer to his big brother.

Dean looked at him incredulously. "You're not actually afraid of thunder and lightning, are you? Come on, Sammy, don't be a baby."

Sam bit his lip. "It's scary, Dean! It sounds like a Giant is stomping around out there and he might come inside and eat me…" His eyes began to water and he wrapped his arms around himself.

Dean looked at the TV to roll his eyes, and then returned his gaze to his little brother. "Don't cry, Sammy. The storm can't hurt you if you're indoors."

Sam's eyes widened in fear instead of realization, as Dean intended. "But Dad is probably outside right now, in a forest!"

"Dad knows what he's doing. Trust me, a little storm is nothing compared to the stuff he hunts. Besides, legend has it that thunder just means that the Angels in Heaven are going bowling."

"R-really? ...Bowling isn't very scary."

Dean smiled. "Exactly, so just go back to bed and try to think about when a strike happens versus a gutter ball."

Sam nodded and tried to put on a courageous face, when an ill-timed bang of thunder came and he jumped a foot in the air with a terrified squeal. Dean sighed but said "Alright, come on" and patted the spot beside him on the couch. Sam wasted no time in running over and curling up beside Dean. The older boy said nothing else but switched the TV from CSI to the Berenstain Bears for Sam's sake and current sensitive state.

"You know Cody from my class? His dad hunts deer and moose. What does our dad hunt?" Sam asked curiously.

"Uh, Dad doesn't hunt those things…" Dean shifted uncomfortably. Sam didn't know the truth about monsters yet. "You could say he hunts more…dangerous things."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Wow, that's pretty cool." Dean laughed and anticipated the day when they told Sam the truth, and his face would go from disbelief, to shock, to fear, to determination, just as Dean's had when he had turned eight and learned about his Dad's real job. For now, however, Dean was happy that Sam was able to be innocent and naïve, and he hoped it would stay that way for as long as possible.

Each time the thunder clapped, Sam would shudder but Dean would say "I bet that was a strike!" or "sounds like that goof only knocked over one pin" until Sam would laugh. Eventually, the younger boy drifted to sleep and Dean happily switched the TV back to CSI. When Sam started snoring, however, Dean saw no alternative but to pick him up and carry him to his bed. He plopped him down and pulled the covers over his small frame.

"Sleep tight, Sammy," he whispered. "and you better grow out of this fear quickly, because I refuse to carry you to bed once you weigh more than 50 pounds."

The thunder and lightning continued all through the night but Sam slept peacefully through it, dreaming of himself bowling alongside a strange man with brown hair and a beige trench coat. Sam didn't know the man, who was looking back and forth between the ball and the pins as if he didn't understand the concept of bowling. Sam showed him his technique and got a strike on his first turn.

The man took his turn and after guttering the ball and creasing his brow, snapped his fingers and made all ten pins fall over as if by magic. Sam was too content in his dream to be confused as to how the pins were knocked down, so they continued to bowl, each to his own individual style, for the rest of the dream.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was Dean's first day of high school. It was his fifteenth school so far, to be exact, so he was no stranger to being the "new kid". The month was October so the eighth graders had become friends with each other already and as Dean was escorted into his first class by Mr. Darwin, his homeroom teacher, 24 pairs of judging eyes were glued to him.

"Class, this is Dean, our new student. Please make him feel welcome." Mr. Darwin said. Welcome, however, was the last thing Dean felt at the moment as he nervously glanced at the accusing stares. "Dean, would you like to share something about yourself to the class?"

Dean shifted his weight from foot to foot and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Um…I'm Dean, and I - I'm…" He sighed, ready to share the same fact he shared at each new school, and ready for the same response that always followed. "I'm not afraid of monsters."

There was a brief silence and then snickering throughout the room, as per usual. Mr. Darwin laughed and said, "Well if we see any, we know the man to call! Thank you, Dean, you can have a seat at the back."

Dean made his way through the desks amidst much whispering and staring. He could tell he would enjoy this school even less than the last. After the first time he shared this fact about himself (in grade three at his seventh school) he discovered that he was the only one who knew the truth. Everyone jeered and kept their distance from him, and he soon realized that he preferred it that way; if these students would only make fun of him, he'd rather not interact with them at all.

As soon as the bell rang, Dean bolted from the room and to his locker, eager to get back to the motel. Much to Dean's dismay, however, three boys from his last class prevented him from leaving the building.

"Hey, new kid."

Dean rolled his eyes and turned around. "That's my name, don't wear it out…" The boys grinned, but not in a friendly way.

"Dean, right?" One of the boys asked, and Dean nodded once. "Look, Dean, my buddies and I never miss out on the opportunity to have a good bet and we were thinking about what you said in class today. There's this haunted house downtown tomorrow and it's supposed to be extremely scary. We bet you twenty bucks that you'll flinch."

"So what do you say, new kid? Think you can handle it?" Another boy asked, looking at him doubtfully.

Dean didn't miss a beat. "I say you're on, tough guys." He didn't want to become friends with these knuckleheads, but he did want twenty bucks, and if he could prove his bravery in the process that wouldn't be so bad either.

The boys narrowed their eyes, unappreciative of the sarcastic label Dean had given them. Then the middle one spoke. "We'll see you tomorrow night, then. Oh and don't forget, if you don't flinch, you get twenty bucks, but if you do flinch, you owe us twenty…each."

Dean thought that was highly unfair, three boys versus one, but as he was confident that he would not flinch, he agreed and they went their separate ways.

The next day came and Dean arrived at the haunted house without even a shred of fear. He met the three boys and without further ado, they went in.

…It was positively the lamest thing Dean had seen, even for someone without his experiences of actual monsters. He rolled his eyes at the people waving their arms under white sheets, having faced Buru Buru and Death Omens; yawned at the cackling witch because there wasn't a single hex bag in sight; and checked his watch at the halfway point when a "vampire" swooped from around the corner. At this, the other three boys jumped and gasped; one even let out a squeal but covered it up with a conspicuous cough afterward.

"Pay up, boys, I didn't flinch once." Dean said as they finally made it outside, holding out his hand.

The boys gathered and looked at each other gruffly, clearly unfamiliar with losing a bet. Dean looked at them expectantly and said, "Well? C'mon, you guys aren't the type to back out of a bet, are you?"

The middle one crossed his arms and said, "No we're not, but this bet was unfair. We didn't have a good enough view of you at all times in there, to know if you're telling the truth."

Dean strained himself to not roll his eyes. "Look, I'm being serious when I say I'm not afraid of monsters. Can you just trust me on this one and give me the money? It's only twenty bucks." But on the inside, Dean was fantasizing about all the pie he would buy once he got the money…

The three whispered together like gossiping girls and then one said, "Nah, we've decided to call off the bet. Thanks for coming though." They laughed cruelly and turned to walk away.

"Hey! Who do you guys think you are?" Dean knew he was sort of pushing his luck but he wasn't about to give up without a fight.

"What did you just say?" The biggest guy stepped towards Dean in an intimidating manner but Dean wasn't phased. "I asked, who do you think you are? You gotta be a real jerk to rip off a kid of twenty bucks that he won fairly."

Without real warning, the other guy swung his right arm out to connect with Dean's eye. The young hunter stumbled backward and raised his arms in protection. The other two boys ran to their leader's side in solidarity and while one pushed Dean to the ground, the other kicked him in the ribs a few times.

"New guys don't get much say around here. Remember that. And I'm warning you, new kid, talk to us like that again and next time you won't get off so easy." The puncher glared down his nose at Dean and then the three turned on their heels and left.

Dean rolled over onto his side and groaned. He cursed himself for his insistence over the twenty dollars and reminded himself to never interact with another kid at this school again.

When he arrived back at the motel, having taken longer than he thought because of the constant ache in his side, his dad was out. "Hey Sammy." He called as he slammed the door.

Ten year old Sam poked his head out of his bedroom and said, "Hey De- what happened to you?!"

"Nothing, I tripped." Dean didn't want to make a big deal out of it, especially since Sam looked up to him and thought he was so strong.

"What the heck did you trip on?"

"…a stick. Now go do your homework, I have to make dinner." Dean said gruffly and pushed past his inquisitive brother.

"I don't believe you. It looks like you got beat up." Sam crossed his arms, wanting an explanation.

"Well I don't care what you believe! I tripped, okay?!"

"You're lying. I can sense it. It's like that time you knew I had cheated on my math test. I don't know how you knew but you knew, and I now I know that you didn't really trip even though you're trying really hard to make me believe that you did so you don't have to admit to – "

"Jesus, kid. You do know that curiosity killed the cat, right?"

Sam looked up at his older brother with the look of someone who wanted to help but had no idea how.

Dean sighed. "Look, I got into it with a group of idiots from my class. I shouldn't have taken them up on the stupid bet in the first place, but when I won the only payment they wanted to make was a fist to my face. It's my fault. End of story."

Sam furrowed his brow. "That's not your fault. They should have paid you for winning the bet."

"Yeah, well…" Dean shrugged and smile humourlessly. "New kids don't have much say, apparently."

"…but we're always new kids." Sam dropped his head.

Dean looked down at him. "I know, and it's not fair but that's a part of the life we live. You'll get used to it." He clapped his little brother on the shoulder. "Dinner will be ready in ten, okay?"

Sam nodded and ran off. Far before the timer went off, however, Sam was back and he was holding a first aid kit in his hands. "You look like crap. So I want to help."

Dean looked at him with both amusement and appreciation. The truth was that his eye was throbbing, his ribs aching and his ego was in no better condition, but he had tried his best not to let Sammy see it. Somehow, the ten year old saw it right away. The bond was a two-way connection, now that Sam was older. Dean felt like he finally had someone to rely on, which was the greatest feeling in the world.

"Here, lean down for a sec." Dean complied and Sam, still shorter than him at this point, went on his tippy-toes to stick a band-aid just over his black eye. "Well, you look all better to me. I guess I am some sort of doctor."

Dean laughed and went in for a playful headlock. "Come here, you." He ruffled Sam's hair and the latter giggled with glee and innocence. Dean closed his eyes and made a mental note to remember that sound. He knew it wouldn't last because of the type of environment they would be forced to grow up in. Of course he understood that it was a necessary job and they helped protect society, but sometimes he just wanted to give up and be a kid with Sammy. They couldn't even tell anyone at school the truth, which was probably the hardest part. Dean was just happy that moments like this, with his brother, when they were most happy, could never be erased or taken from his memory.

Dean opened two glass bottles of coke and the brothers cheers-ed to nothing in particular. Maybe to Doctor Sam, or not-being-afraid-of-monsters, or pie…who knew? The fact was that they were going to need and help each other in the future, even for something as insignificant as getting beat up by a group of eighth grade bullies.


End file.
